Breathe
by jinxiejinx
Summary: A 4-Chapter perspective during Future Arc when Chrome was injured. In order – 96, 69, 18 and 27. Primarily focus on 6996 / Mukuro x Chrome / MukuChro pairing but also 1896 / Hibari x Chrome and Tsuna and Chrome's relationship / friendship.
1. Chapter 1: 96

"**Breathe"**

_AN: I wanted to do a Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fanfic based on the 6996 pairing of Mukuro and Chrome and thought I give it a go with a one-shot in 2 parts: Chrome's perspective and then, Mukuro's perspective. Spoilers up to around Chapter 172. Primarily MukuChro but there might be a slight implied Tsuna x Chrome, 2796 pairing but not really. _

_This is meant to take place around manga Chapters 169-172, about Episodes 95-96 in the anime. Some flashback moments are based on Canon events._

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

**Chapter 1: 96...**

Chrome was lying on the hospital bed, barely able to breathe as she focused on the power of the Vongola Ring of Mist harnessing her illusionary organs. Hibari was still sitting next to her; he looked deep in thought. Chrome wondered what he meant about "her importance" in the future. Chrome looked at Hibari as he noticed her eyes staring at him and he gave her a comforting nod before walking away from the hospital room.

Chrome went back to stare at the ceiling. She tried to breathe deeply as she grew tired of focussing on her powers with the Vongola ring.

She was not as strong as _him._

She was barely keeping herself alive. But she really did not care about herself; Chrome has always been so selfless.

Like when she saved that cat.

Like when she was willing to just _die_ so that her mother and stepfather did not have to take care of her anymore.

Chrome took another deep breath and wondered, _Where are you, Mukuro-sama?_

He was always there when she needed to be saved and her body, her skin; _every part of her_ was his, too. There was always something so romantic about their relationship that Chrome pondered about constantly. Her feelings towards Mukuro were beyond respect.

She was indebted to him.

Tsuna entered the room and walked up towards Chrome with his hands in his pockets, head down. Tsuna held his hand out and squeezed Chrome's hand. She tilted her head and faced him.

_"Don't die Chrome..."_

Tsuna was in tears as he softly spoke those words under his breath.

Tsuna and Chrome shared a quiet, _understanding_ relationship between Boss and Guardian. Tsuna cared deeply for Chrome; very much like a sister and a dear friend. She was a member of his "_family_". Chrome had a deep respect and companionship towards her Boss and found peace and enjoyment in being one of his Guardians. Tsuna looked at Chrome and wiped away his tears. Chrome's body was shared with Mukuro... a person who Tsuna had a difficult relationship with; he was an enemy and still a threat to his wellbeing... but he had grown to accept him as a Guardian; with Chrome.

Tsuna pulled a chair and sat next to the bed where Chrome was lying and she continued to face the ceiling. Chrome was still clutching her fist tight as she continued to focus on the Vongola Ring's illusionary powers to survive. Tsuna stared at Chrome; he let out a sigh and reached out to hold her hand again. The other hand - the one Tsuna is holding - was lightly sweating. Tsuna thought that Chrome was working so hard on her powers that at times, it looked like the other hand - the one with the Vongola ring - was shaking...

_Where are you, Mukuro?_

Tsuna was worried. Where was Mukuro? Chrome needed him. Tsuna needed Chrome. Tsuna considered Chrome to be one of his _nakama_. Tsuna needed Mukuro. If Chrome was his _nakama_ then, Mukuro was, too.

Tsuna closed his eyes and prayed that Mukuro will be back soon. Even if it meant that he would fight Tsuna again; Tsuna did not care. As long as that meant Chrome stayed alive…


	2. Chapter 2: 69

"**Breathe"**

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

--

**Chapter 2: 69...**

Mukuro was resting in his illusion. He was sitting beside a lake. He was stuck in Byakuran's office but he could escape by hiding in his illusion before any more damage was done.

He knew what was happening now. He felt _her choke_ the split second he noticed that he could not escape back to her.

_Back to Japan._

He felt that he let her down...

Mukuro stared at the stillness of the lake. The area. The scenery. It reminded him of when he first met her. When he first laid eyes on the young, sweet girl that was in pain from rejection, from suffering and from... everything. He remembered his words,

_"You and I are the same kind of person..."_

Mukuro understood her. Chrome was the anti-social, introverted kind. But her suffering, the rejection from her peers, her family and from herself... Mukuro understood that. Mukuro _experienced_ that.

But Mukuro survived that.

Initially, all he wanted to do was save himself and escape the prison that had chained his senses shut. But he realised that saving himself also meant saving Nagi.

Reborn was right. Mukuro and Chrome have been one since the day they met in Mukuro's illusions. But now Mukuro had failed her by losing to Byakuran. And the Chrome he failed was Chrome from 10 years ago. The sweet, young Nagi… who needed him right now.

Mukuro looked at the grass near his feet. If the Chrome he failed even remotely knew what she had become.

He remembered the first time he met her outside of his illusions.

In reality.

--

Five years ago, Chrome, Ken and Chikusa attempted to break Mukuro free from his cruel prison confinement in Italy. When they escaped the prison, Mukuro held Chrome's hand all the way through the hallways. Ken and Chikusa may not have noticed but Mukuro was holding Chrome and she was determined, a lot stronger than the Chrome from five years prior. Mukuro held her hand like they were lovers of many years; they were _that_ comfortable with each other. That deep bond developed when they shared together in one body and one presence.

_One being._

Mukuro remembered the first time he touched her face in reality. The first time he held her in his arms and her face buried in his chest. His hands were holding her shoulders, brushing her hair, caressing her neck and whispering her birth name...

"Nagi..."

She would whisper, "Mukuro-sama..."

And then Mukuro would let her sleep in the same bed as him and their bodies barely touched. He realised that this was reality. Not in one of his illusions. There were one but in separate entities, for once. They were one but their bodies barely touched.

They were always _one_.

Mukuro understood that Chrome had a strong affection and admiration for him. Mukuro did not think she loved him, but he also did not think that what he felt for her is love.

It was beyond that.

_It was stronger than that._

Mukuro was surprised that he cared so much for someone who initially, was just a body he could possess.

--

Back in the illusion, Mukuro stretched his legs and laid on the ground. He wanted to go back to another moment in his memory.

Six months ago when Mukuro and Chrome met at the airport in Italy.

Mukuro was in Guido Greco's body and Chrome, in her own body, was able to create her own illusionary organs and had her arm in a sling after a recent fight. It was in Italy. He walked past her as arranged. She walked past him in sunglasses, a headscarf and whispered, _"Grazie..."._

Mukuro's heart skipped a beat when he first heard his Nagi spoke Italian to him.

Mukuro kept recalling that moment as he had his back on the grass. Mukuro needed to find a way to escape.

Or he could never see his Nagi again.

--

_AN: Simple but I needed to do a one-shot on this gorgeous pairing. I was listening to the song, "The No Seatbelt Song" by Brand New when I wrote this and eventually used some lyrics of the song in a 6996-inspired forum signature picture for my _Bleach Asylum_ forum profile._

_I wanted to have a brief moment of Hibari caring for Chrome because he is portrayed as too cold, at times. And I interpreted Tsuna's relationship with Chrome as a loving sibling, familial bond in the manga so I thought I highlight that briefly here. I tried to write the characters IC as much as possible (and referring back to actual manga Canon events, too)._

Nakama_ is Japanese for close comrade; stronger than friendship._

_Hope you like it._


	3. Chapter 3: 18

"**Breathe"**

_AN: So… I decided to do a quick one-shot of Hibari's perspective from my last fanfic with Chrome lying in the hospital bed. It is short but I just felt like giving more of Hibari's thoughts at that moment._

_Oh, and as much as I love 6996; I have a soft spot for 1896… so; that __may__ be implied in this fanfic. Spoilers for Chapter 163 and 169 mostly._

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

--

**Chapter 3: 18…**

_She had always been the determined type._

Hibari was a bit lost in his scattered thoughts as he watched over Chrome utilising the Vongola Ring of Mist to create the illusionary organs for herself. This was the first time _that_ Chrome had attempted to do so without Mukuro's aid or power and Hibari was impressed on how much energy and strength she had utilised despite her limited health.

"_If you die, we'll all be in trouble…"_

Hibari crossed his arms as he leaned back on the hospital chair next to the hospital bed. _That _Chrome played an important part in the future. Hibari knew _that_ Chrome had grown into a woman who did not depend on her counterpart as much anymore. Hibari also knew that Chrome's strength; her energy and _her own_ illusionary powers grew to incredible heights as one of the elite Guardians and top-ranking member of the Vongola Family.

--

Hibari recalled back six months prior when he was asked to locate Chrome after she lost contact with the Vongola Family. Hibari travelled to Italy and kept watch at the airport with a long-range zoom lens attached to his digital SLR. There were strange rumours from his sources about Chrome and it had something to do with Mukuro.

Mukuro. _Rokudo Mukuro_.

Hibari's fist flinched as he could hear his name spoken in his thoughts.

Hibari remembered that moment, six months ago, when he noticed Chrome dragging her suitcase in one hand and the other arm in a sling. Her hair was covered in a headscarf and her violet eyes covered with sunglasses. Initially, Hibari did not notice the incognito-aspect of her outfit. The aspect that caught his eye was her arm in the sling.

_You have injured yourself again, Chrome._

Hibari noticed a man who appeared to be walking towards Chrome. Hibari did not recognise him but there was _something_ about that man which felt familiar. Hibari continued to observe Chrome and the man who was now about to walk past her. Through his camera's zoom lens, Hibari saw Chrome's lips move and he realised she was mouthing, "_Grazie…_" to this man who had stopped with his back to Chrome.

That was when Hibari knew that man had to be Mukuro.

Hibari shot a photograph of both Chrome and the man briefly interacting and noticed the man walking towards one of the check-in counters whilst Chrome continued walking away. Hibari completed his assigned mission. He walked away from the area and ready to leave, to report on the information when he realised a familiar hand had reached out for his arm.

"Kyoya?"

Hibari turned around and Chrome was standing in front of him. Her sunglasses were off and her right eye covered by her fringe.

"I assume you were sent here to locate me."

"You failed to keep contact with the Vongola Family."

Chrome sighed. She looked overwhelmed. Her injured arm looked painful and her left eye showed exhaustion. Her left arm reached over to touch her right shoulder where the sling was tied to support her injured right arm. Chrome quietly spoke,

"Can we talk more about this somewhere else?"

--

Hibari and Chrome ended up at a hotel lobby and were sharing a bottle of red _pinot noir_ wine. Hibari looked at Chrome. She looked tired but there was still that quiet, shy beauty that she seems to exude no matter where she was or how she was feeling at any time.

"You were going to report me, right? Kyoya?"

Chrome started calling Hibari by the familiar after they fought in a battle together some years ago and Chrome _saved_ Hibari from a long-range attack. Hibari did not advise anyone about Chrome's involvement in the battle and that the fact that he, himself, had contact with her. One of the reasons he did not disclose that information was because he knew that was one of the very few times where he could _be_ with Chrome without Mukuro's presence.

After that battle, they spent the night together, not in the _physical_ sense; but their comfortableness with one another grew to an extent where Hibari _invited_ her to call him by his first name. However, they agreed that she would only do so when she spoke to him and _only_ him with nobody else, particularly any member of the Vongola Family or its affiliates, around.

Hibari only nodded to Chrome's question. Chrome took another sip of her red wine. Hibari loved the way she drank wine. Chrome was an elegant drinker; only taking a few sips and drank the wine like how wine should be appreciated.

Hibari decided to tell Chrome what he planned to do.

"I will need to inform them about your presence and that you are alive. I will also be informing them about your contact with a man…"

Chrome reached out for Hibari's hand.

"Kyoya…"

"I will need to inform them about your contact with Rokudo Mukuro. I believe that was him, or a part of him, in that man that you made contact with at the airport."

Chrome's left hand managed to take hold of Hibari's right hand and her fingers were intertwining with his. Hibari closed his eyes for a few seconds as his thoughts flashed to memories of her lying next to him in bed and him whispering in her ear, "It's Kyoya from now on…" as he kissed her neck.

Hibari pulled his hand away from Chrome's. He stood up and left some _Euro_ on the table to pay for the wine.

"I will not inform them about our meeting. Nor will I inform them that you actually spoke to that man at the airport. All I will inform them is that I believe the man you walked past was Mukuro and that you are alive."

Chrome looked at Hibari and whispered, "_Grazie_…" in a seemingly harsh, cold tone.

Hibari's fist flinched again as he made a comparison in how she said _thank you_ at the airport and then, with the tone she whispered to him.

Hibari walked away from the hotel and that was the last time he had seen Chrome.

--

Back at the hospital room.

Hibari turned to see the _younger_ Chrome staring at him and he gave her a comforting nod. Hibari thought, _without you, I would not be here_…

Hibari walked away from the hospital room. He noticed the young Vongola 10th waiting outside the room looking stressed and agitated. Hibari gave him a nod and Tsuna realised that he could now have his turn in visiting Chrome.

Hibari walked away from the hospital.

_Everything was coming to place._

--

_AN: Another simple one-shot. OK, so I did say, "__may__" have 1896 implications but I made it more obvious then I intended. But that's why it is a fan-fiction! Inspired mostly from Chapters 163 and 169. I tried to write the characters IC as much as possible but with a little twist. I might write another one-shot but this time in Tsuna's perspective…_

Grazie_ is Italian for thank you._


	4. Chapter 4: 27

"**Breathe"**

_AN: This is Tsuna's perspective. I wanted to focus on what Tsuna thought about TYL (Ten Years Later) Hibari with Chrome. And exploring on Tsuna's relationship with Chrome, too, which had been touched upon in the first chapter. This is not meant to be a 2796 pairing chapter, though._

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

--

**Chapter 4: 27…**

Tsuna saw Hibari walk out of the hospital room. Hibari gave him a nod and Tsuna knew that it was his turn to visit Chrome. Tsuna's heart was beating fast. He was worried about his young, delicate Guardian and even though Kusakabe told him that Chrome will recover thanks to the Vongola Ring of Mist; he still wanted to sit by her side, even for just a moment, so that she could see that he cared about her.

--

Tsuna was holding Chrome's hand and feeling the light sweat of her palms. He saw the Vongola Ring of Mist's power illuminating the room.

_Hold on, Chrome…_

Tsuna remembered how worried he got when he, Bianchi and Reborn saw Chrome's body _collapse_ and her illusionary organs started to disappear. Tsuna saw her _insides_ disappear and he felt like _his _insides were about to disappear, too. He remembered how his own heart started to ache and his chest felt heavy as he watched Chrome screaming in pain and coughing up blood that looked like it could choke her.

Tsuna felt uneasy recalling that event and his heart was still beating fast as he held on to Chrome's hand and watched her rest. Tsuna realised that Chrome seem to have stabilised the Vongola Ring's powers and he felt relieved that she was getting stronger as time passed. Still, he did not want to let go of her hand.

_Hibari-san stayed with Chrome for awhile…_

Tsuna noticed a small bruise on his arm from when Hibari pushed him to get to Chrome during the traumatic event. Tsuna remembered Hibari's words, "_If you die, we'll all be in trouble…_" and wondered what he meant by that statement. Initially, Tsuna was surprised by Hibari's actions and determination. Tsuna thought that maybe _that_ Hibari, ten years older, grew to be more caring and was more open to show affection towards others…

But then, Tsuna felt the sting of his small bruise and realised that Hibari was still aggressive and intimidating when he wanted to be. However, Tsuna could not help but wonder what Hibari's words to Chrome meant.

Tsuna held on to Chrome's hand, and sat on the chair next to the hospital bed. Tsuna speculated a little about the ten-year older Hibari. Earlier, Tsuna witnessed Hibari holding Chrome up by the shoulders and neck, and Hibari was holding her hand; the hand with the Vongola Ring on her finger and he was encouraging her to utilise its powers to create her own illusionary organs. Tsuna thought that he even caught a glimpse of Hibari gently stroking Chrome's face and hair as he told her to focus on her energy and strength to survive.

Tsuna felt like blushing when he remembered that moment but then he thought, maybe it was _his _imagination. Hibari was not the affectionate type. Tsuna thought that Hibari had very few things he cared about such as _Namimori High School_ and his bird, Hibird. Tsuna wondered, _Maybe over 10 years… Hibari-san started to care…_

Tsuna looked at Chrome. She was still resting. Tsuna noticed that it was almost time for the meeting Reborn arranged. Tsuna removed his hand away from Chrome's grip and softly told her, "Keep resting, Chrome. You'll join us soon."

Tsuna walked out of the hospital room and noticed that Hibari was leaning against the wall with both hands in his pockets, waiting outside of the room. Hibari was staring into space and did not seem to notice the young Vongola 10th looking at him.

"Hibari-san?"

Hibari turned and looked at Tsuna. Tsuna wanted to give him a small smile but before he could do so, Hibari entered back to the hospital room. Tsuna was almost late for the meeting and he did not want a moment where Gokudera decided to have a search party for him and yelling out "_Judaime! Judaime!"_

But still, he wanted to have another glimpse of the older Hibari with Chrome so he could confirm in his mind that it was not an imagination at all and Hibari did show some affection for the young Guardian.

Tsuna quietly peeked through the slightly opened door and saw Hibari sitting quietly next to Chrome. He noticed that Hibari was holding something. Tsuna squinted and realised that Hibari was holding a cork. Tsuna wondered why he was holding some cork that looked like something from a wine bottle.

Tsuna wondered but he did not want to peek any longer. He was worried Hibari would start scolding him for snooping.

Tsuna headed off to the meeting leaving Hibari with Chrome in the hospital room.

--

Tsuna did not realise that Hibari got up to close the hospital room's door as soon as he realised Tsuna had stopped spying on him. Hibari was still holding the cork tightly in his hand.

That cork had never left Hibari's side since he took it from the hotel lobby's table after his last meeting with the _older_ Chrome in Italy. He wanted some memory of her, as he knew that he would never see her again.

The younger Chrome was still asleep.

Hibari left the cork on the side table of the hospital bed and proceeded to walk out of the room to join the meeting.

_**END**_

--

_Final AN: That's it! I probably won't continue with any more chapters. I was considering doing an 1896 pairing one-shot based on how Chrome saved Hibari's life but I thought some things are better left for the imagination._

Judaime _is Japanese for 10__th__._

_Hope you enjoyed it. Please review if you can._


End file.
